


Hell's Heart

by FireEye



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect Big Bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-20
Updated: 2013-11-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEye/pseuds/FireEye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after Saren's defeat, Shepard goes rogue, the Council sends out a Spectre, and Kaidan is left the middle trying figure out what is going on on both sides.  For the Mass Effect Big Bang, Autumn 2013. Fic by FireEye, Art by Angmarluna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
([This Way to Shiny Art](http://mytendermadness.tumblr.com/post/67579058039/my-first-artwork-for-this-years-mass-effect-big) by [Angmarluna](http://mytendermadness.tumblr.com/))   
**I**

The slow, rhythmic repetition of color washed over the barroom.  The music was mercifully subdued, a vacillating warble in the background without the heavy pulse of bass.

Kaidan paused long enough at the entrance to pick her out of the crowd – in the far corner of the room, back to the wall.  Nonchalantly, he picked his way through the night crowd to her side, where he paused again at the collection of varied liquor glasses arranged in an indiscernible order.

“Since when do you drink?”

“Since about twenty-one forty this evening.”

Kaidan pulled out a chair beside her to seat himself.  Crossing his arms against the table, he counted the glasses silently.  Once finished, he arched an eyebrow at her.

“I get the feeling I’d be laughing if I were in on the joke.”  Shepard swayed, fixing him with a clear, unwavering stare to which Kaidan merely smiled.  “You want to explain it to me?”

“The two salarians at the bar – the green one and the gray one with the pale striping – followed me for over an hour through the wards,” Shepard said.  “They’ve been discussing the weather with the bartender for over an hour and a half.”

“Shepard, are you...?”  Kaidan appraised the glasses again.  “How much have you had?  And how much of it was before you decided to call me down here?”

“I assure you that I am stone cold sober.”

There was nothing in her voice to indicate otherwise.  At the bar, one of the salarians visibly chortled, though the sound didn’t carry across the distance.  Shepard swirled the reddish-purple liquor in her glass, staring into space.

“Okay.” Kaidan drummed his fingers against his leg.  “So.  Now what?”

Shepard shrugged.

“Now,” she paused to fling the contents of her glass at his face.  Startled, Kaidan jerked up in his chair; the commander shoved her hands down on the table, leaning over him as she stood.  “You cover my ass.”

Kaidan watched her retreat.  In a feint at wiping away the liquor, he pressed the heel of his palm to his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Yeah, well you have a lousy taste in alcohol, Commander,” he called after her.  Covering with incredulous scoff, Kaidan cased the situation. 

One salarian tracked Shepard’s exit.  The other met Kaidan’s best façade of an exasperated glare with an air of aloof disdain.  Kaidan pulled a napkin from under the nearest of Shepard’s collection of glassware; when he looked up, Shepard was gone, and both salarians were on their way out of the bar.

The moment they were out of sight, he got to his feet and followed after them.

 

Kaidan kept as close as caution would allow.  As fixated as they were on trailing Shepard, they didn’t seem to notice him.  The commander wasted no time in leading them off the more common paths and into the depths of the Wards, until the crowds thinned and the pedways narrowed into a network of scarcely populated, interconnecting alleyways.  In the first alley that was wholly deserted, Shepard ducked around a corner.

At the edge of the corner, the salarians stopped, each drawing a pistol from within their clothes.  As one, they moved into the alley, only to find that Kaidan was right behind them, and Shepard was right in front of them.

Shepard grabbed for the green salarian nearest to her, pulling him into her, her own pistol drawn.  Without a clear shot, he threw her off balance to draw her into a scuffle.

Kaidan focused.  Biotic energy rippled across his skin, enveloping him in synchronicity with a field that formed under the salarian farthest from Shepard.  The gray salarian floundered as the force captured him, sending him across the alley to crumple into the far wall.

A report sounded, and the green salarian slumped under Shepard, who fell with him and kicked his gun away.  Huddled over him as he bled out, dead beneath her, she shivered, and Kaidan hurried to crouch beside her.

“Hey...”  Kaidan frowned.  His fingers brushed her cheek; Shepard flinched away, and he pulled back his hand.  “You alright?”

“Did you see the other one?”

“What?”

“There were three,” Shepard said.  “There was someone else; _here_ , not in the bar.”

Kaidan stood, scanning the alley.

“No....” Their shadows danced under the light of the shimmering holograms that lined the walls.  They were alone.  “No, I only saw two.” He offered her a hand up; for a moment, she hesitated, before grabbing it firmly.  Pulling her to her feet, he held on a touch longer than necessary.  “Any idea who they are?”

Shepard shook her head.  Across the alley, the gray salarian groaned.

“Are you sure you’re sober?” Kaidan asked, as she stumbled over to the still-living salarian, and leveled her weapon at his head.  “You know those pills don’t always-...?”

Kaidan flinched as the report sounded.  He came to stand by her side, eyeing her sharply.  “Was that _necessary_?”

“It made me feel better,” Shepard grumbled.  Digging her fingers into his shoulder, she started to lean into him before catching herself and nudging him towards the mouth of the alley instead.  “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

He watched her stagger away, and his concern bled deeper.

“Are you... are you _sure_ you’re alright?”

“Can we hold off a damage report and discuss my questionable morality and state of mind later?” Shepard asked, swerving to face him.  A flustered blush crept into her cheeks.  “‘Cause right now, _Lieutenant_ , I _really_ have to pee, assuming that’s _okay by you_.”

~*~

Shepard’s head jerked away from Kaidan’s chest.  Squinting at her surroundings, she breathed in, deep and slow.  Kaidan tucked her stray strands of hair behind her ear, the night slowly bleeding back into memory as the Shepard’s cabin drifted into focus around them.

The intercom chimed again, clearer than through the haze of sleep.

_“...commander?  You there?”_

“Mmmm,” Shepard groaned in acknowledgment, no doubt loud enough for the intercom to pick up.  Her head dropped back down against Kaidan’s chest, her eyes drifting closed while her fingers tightened in the cloth of his shirt.  “Say again?”

 _“Admiral Hackett wants to see you.”_   Joker’s disembodied explanation drifted down from the intercom.  _“He wouldn’t say what it was about, except that it was something to do with a diplomatic incident in the Wards?”_

Shepard’s eyes snapped open.

_“And, just to give you a heads up, he didn’t sound too happy.”_

“ _Crap_.”

She scrambled to slide off the mattress, narrowly landing on her feet.  Kaidan swung his legs out over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes.  Running her fingers through her hair, Shepard glanced down at him, and froze.  Her mouth moved around a soft syllable that snagged on her lips and threatened to draw blood.

“I...”

Kaidan looked up, bleary but wide awake, and Shepard heaved a sigh.  Balancing one knee on the bed, she hooked her fingers under his chin and pressed her lips against his cheek.  “Sorry.”

“Go,” he whispered.  “I’ll catch up.”

Kaidan slid his hand behind her neck, and held on for a breath longer.

“Love you,” he rasped against her mouth.

Shepard pulled away, fingers tangling together with his at an arm’s length.  There was a distant tightness in her expression, which melted into guarded neutrality as she swallowed and cleared her throat.  “Yeah.”

She squeezed his hand, and let go.

~*~

By the time he had arrived at the Alliance’s Presidium offices, Shepard was sprawled in two of the chairs outside of Hackett’s temporary command post, rump in one and boots on the other.

“How’d it go?”

With the knuckle of her thumb folded between her teeth, Shepard flared her fingers in a dismissal.

“Hasn’t seen me yet.”  She dropped her hand and shifted to look up at him.  “Tell you the truth, I wish I’d stayed a bit longer in bed.”

Kaidan bit back a smile, and pushed her feet off the adjoining chair.  Before he could sit down, Hackett’s aide appeared.

“Commander, he’ll see you now.”

 

The woman gave Kaidan a stern look, but didn’t stop him as he fell in line behind Shepard.  The office opened into the Presidium air.  Hackett wasn’t alone, but was in the company of an armored and _armed_ salarian.  Shepard ignored the salarian and reported directly to the admiral; Kaidan followed suit.

“Admiral, Commander Shepard, reporting as ordered.”

“Commander, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Shepard’s eyebrows rose sharply, but she otherwise held her salute.  Hackett sighed, gesturing brusquely as he commanded a curt, “At ease.”

She fluidly relaxed her stance.  When she offered no comment, the admiral prompted, “Well?”

“Admiral?”

“Last night,” the salarian spoke up, venom lacing his words as he moved to stand in front of her, “you had an altercation in the Wards that left two of my men dead.”

Shepard narrowed her eyes, digesting that information.  “And you would be...?”

“Captain Baeros Rhyte, STG.”

“Ah.”

Hackett moved to stand before Shepard, his mere proximity nudging the captain aside.

“Do you have to anything say for yourself?”

Shepard bobbed her head in a shrug that didn’t reach her shoulders.  “I would have expected more from the STG.”

Kaidan grit his teeth as the admiral’s scowl deepened.  Baeros didn’t bother to cover his sheer contempt as he rounded on Hackett.

“I trust that you will see to this matter in a manner that will please both our respective superiors,” he sniffed.  “Good day, Admiral.”

After Baeros took had taken his leave, Hackett paced the floor in front of Shepard.  On his second circuit, he stopped short, eyes narrowing.  Shepard fidgeted, following his glower to Kaidan.  “What’re you doing here?”

“Admiral, I was in the Wards last night,” Kaidan reported.  “I thought maybe I had a responsibility to help clear things up, if they could be-...”

“Dismissed.”

“Aye, aye, Admiral.”

Shepard saluted swiftly and spun on her heel.  Hackett’s voice jerked her back; it couldn’t have been more effective than a chain.  “Not _you_ , Commander.”

“Uh...” Kaidan managed a hasty salute.  “Aye, aye, Admiral.”

As he swiftly retreated, Hackett’s voice dipped dangerously low behind him.  He couldn’t catch the words, but he did catch Shepard’s flat, “No, Admiral,” as the door whooshed closed behind him.

Outside, he sank into a chair.  Hackett’s aide eyed him for a moment, and thereafter pointedly ignored him.  A dim conversation drew his attention to the hall, where Baeros was exchanging curt words with a turian.  The turian’s gaze fell on him, and Kaidan straightened in his chair, fixing his eyes on the admiral’s door.

~*~

He was on his feet the moment the door opened.  Shepard ducked through it before it had even finished, and Kaidan fell in step behind her, hurrying to catch up with her in the hallway.

“I have been relieved from duty, indefinitely,” Shepard snapped.

“Are you serious?” Kaidan stumbled to a halt.  “How do they... _why_?  I mean, I was _there_ ; those salarians attacked _you_.”

“Dead serious,” the commander tossed back.

Unless she had provoked them somehow first, but he shook his head and dismissed the thought even before it was fully formed.  Jogging after her, he fell in line.

“The Alliance is putting it through the Council to have my status as a Spectre suspended.”

Kaidan reached for her shoulder, but she spun around before he could touch her.  Instead, he nearly avoided colliding into her as she stopped abruptly.

“And you know what?” she asked.  Not waiting for him to answer, she jabbed her hand in the direction of the offices and snarled, “They can _keep_ it.  I resign, right here and now.  I fucking _quit_.”

Kaidan glanced about the hallway, thankful it was still empty.  He rubbed his eyes, struggling to form coherent words.  “Shepard, maybe you should calm down and _think_ -...”

“Kaidan, I am _tired_ and I am _sore_.” Shepard stepped in close to stare up at him.  “And it’s not enough that I don’t have the Alliance’s enemies to worry about, or the Council’s, or cataclysmic dreams from a fifty-thousand years dead civilization that I can’t shake, or the threat of galactic annihilation hanging over our heads, but now I’ve got people on _my own damn side_ stabbing me in the back _again_ for political brownie points.” She breathed in deeply, and exhaled slowly.  “The Reapers can have it – they can have it all – because I am _through_.”

Avoiding his shocked stare, she glanced aside and her shoulders slumped.  Following her gaze, he stiffened to see Admiral Hackett regarding them silently at the turn of the hall.  Before Kaidan could react, Shepard grabbed him by the harness and dragged him down into a deep, unrepentant kiss.

Agast, he shoved her back.  Torn between Shepard fleeing and Hackett approaching, Kaidan held up his hand, helplessly.

“Admiral, I think you can agree that she has been under more than a lot of stress lately, and I can assure you-...”

“Well, then,” Hackett flashed his teeth in a tight, grim smile, “I hope she spends the next few quiet weeks thinking carefully about what it is she wants in life and whether the Systems Alliance is still a part of that.” He excused himself with a terse, “Good morning, Lieutenant.”

~*~

Pressly met him at the airlock, wringing his hands.

“Shepard’s not with you?”

Kaidan blinked.  The _Normandy_ would have been the first place he expected Shepard to go, even if only to make good on her threat and collect her personal effects... although in that moment he realized he was assuming a lot regarding whether she had any desire to keep her personal effects.

“The meeting with Admiral Hackett didn’t go so well,” he explained.  “Give it a few hours, I’m sure she’ll turn up.”

“Admiral Hackett?  I thought...” Pressly shifted his weight, glancing between the cockpit and the catwalk nervously.  “She had a meeting with the Council Committee – they’ve been trying to get ahold of her all day.  They said she never showed up this afternoon for finalizing the details of Anderson’s pre-inauguration, and she’s not answering the ship’s comm.”

Pressly frowned as Kaidan’s face fell.

“She wouldn’t, she uh...” Kaidan scratched his eyebrow, struggling to relay the simple truth he hadn’t yet accepted himself, “She got relieved of duty this morning.”

“Ha!”  Joker crowed from the cockpit and clapped his hands.  “I just won a hundred credits!”

“Oh, come on,” he said, in defense against their combined stern glare.  “You can’t say you didn’t see it coming a mile away.”


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

The tribunal of admirals were as one – stern, grim-faced and did nothing to assuage the worming anxiety in Kaidan’s chest.  Kaidan recognized two of them, Stephen Hackett and Jóna Sadik, but the third – Yuen Li, was an entirely new face.  And while once upon a time, seeing Hackett and Sadik in the same room might have turned his head, Kaidan’s attention was entirely wrapped up in the turian that waltzed in front of the tribunal’s desk.

“Maerum is a Spectre,” Hackett explained, taking note of Kaidan’s interest, “As such she will be representing the interests of the Council during this hearing.”

At that, Kaidan’s heart dropped.  He had expected an investigation; he hadn’t expected a Council Spectre.

“Lieutenant,” Sadik began, “how would you define Commander Shepard’s behavior over the last few weeks?”

“She’s been... _frustrated_ , Admiral,” Kaidan said, picking his words carefully.  Semantics may very well have been imperative.  “She’s worried that while we lick our wounds, other forces might already be in motion.  Forces that – even at full strength, even with the strength of the Council at our backs – we might not be able to stand against.”

“Do you share this concern?”

Taking in the calculating expressions of the tribunal, Kaidan hesitated.  He glanced at Maerum, before dropping his gaze to the floor.

“This isn’t a trial, Lieutenant,” Hackett interjected.  “Speak freely; nothing is going into any permanent records.  All we want to know is how to approach the situation before it has a chance to become a problem.”

With a slow nod, Kaidan composed his statement.

“I defer to her judgment,” he said at length.  “I also admit that there’s not much we can do to until significant recovery has been made.”

“Would you perhaps agree that this frustration has caused the commander to behave erratically?” Sadik pressed.  “Perhaps, for example, to seek out other avenues through which to accomplish goals that she might feel are out of reach through more... acceptable methods?”

“I don’t know what you’re asking.” Kaidan offered, “Commander Shepard has been under a lot of stress and-...”

“Stress comes with the job, Lieutenant,” Yuen said.  “I don’t think any of us would be here if we couldn’t handle anything that the galaxy saw fit to throw at us.”

 “I think we can agree that rogue Council Spectres plotting the return of megalomaniac machines with god complexes goes a little beyond the rank and file.” 

Maerum’s faceplates flattened against her cheeks.  She moved to stand in front of Kaidan, staring him down.

“You are involved, emotionally and physically, with Commander Shepard, are you not?”

A blush crept up Kaidan’s cheeks, and he sputtered.  A breathless chuckle make it past his lips.  “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

“Are you emotionally compromised?”

“Fraternization is against regulations,” Kaidan recited, “Under Article-...”

“From what I understand, this hearing is in part to determine whether or not Shepard has respect for regulations,” the turian stated.  “Which makes my question relevant.”

“Then to answer your question,” Kaidan managed.  “No, ma’am.  I am not.”

Forcing his composure, he didn’t look to the panel.  Kaidan knew turian body language well enough to read that his answer had both surprised and frustrated her, and knew that any further reaction to Maerum’s goading would give him away.  With any luck, the tribunal would read the burning of his cheeks as embarrassment over a stupid question, and not a bold-faced lie.

The last thing Shepard needed was for their entanglements to become another knot in her predicament.

“Very well,” Maerum said, showing her teeth.  “Nevertheless, you _respect_ Shepard.  You _admire_ her.  She has been a leader to you, and so you cannot fathom the depths of her treachery.” Her feet clicked against the tile as she paced before him.  “I can understand your conflict.  I can assure you I felt much the same of Saren.”

“You see, Lieutenant – Saren trained me.  More, he was a dear friend to me, and, in the end, he cast aside his duty to follow his own self-interest at the expense of his people.  Duty, friendship, it all meant nothing to him.” Again she came to rest before him, something akin to pity in her voice.  “Trust me to know exactly how you feel.”

Maerum turned her attention to the tribunal, and Kaidan risked a glance to Hackett.  The admiral was unreadable, but his full attention was on the Spectre.

“The roots of corruption can run deep.  Shepard was court martialed once before, was she not?  I fail to comprehend how the Systems Alliance found her acceptable to present to the highest prestige of the Council.”

Kaidan began to wonder if she had practiced her speech in the mirror.

“Spectre, if I may?” he interrupted. “If you’re going to investigate Shepard over this matter...” he glanced at Hackett again, “...may I request that you also look into Captain Baeros?”

All eyes were on him, and Kaidan sighed, steeling himself.

“Shepard was attacked in the Wards by two salarians that were...” Kaidan dropped the _supposedly_ that nearly leapt from his tongue, “That were attached to the STG.”

“Yes, this is a matter of record,” the Spectre told him, “They were _investigating_ allegations of _corruption_.”

“Yeah, and they were investigating with _plasma_.”  Maerum’s regarded him coldly, and Kaidan ignored her, speaking instead directly to Hackett.  “I was there.  Shepard called me down to the Wards because she was concerned they were following her.  When they thought they had her alone, they tried to _jump_ her.  There’s no way they were _investigating_ anything, and there is no doubt in my mind that they meant to kill her.”  Finally, he forced himself to met Maerum’s icy stare.  “If there’s corruption here, I would start looking at Captain Baeros.”

The turian’s faceplates flared, and she again began to pace as she worked to digest his account.

“Baeros is an ambitious man,” she said at last.  “I did not consider this.  However, if Shepard is innocent, then why has she not seen fit to defend herself at this hearing?” Whatever doubt momentary doubt she had was gone, and she squared herself in front of Kaidan.  “Even Saren was willing to defend himself; I believe Shepard’s reluctance to do so may speak for itself.”

“Maybe after the way this has gone down so far,” Kaidan dared, “she knew you wouldn’t believe her.”

“Enough.”  Maerum turned to face the tribunal.  “I believe I have presented enough reason for my wanting to apprehend this woman.  As a Spectre of the Council, I reserve the right to conduct my investigation as I see fit.”

~*~

The door slid open, and her voice poured out, snaring him in place.

“...appreciate your concern,” she was saying, “But I know what I’m doing.”

Anderson took a deep breath, and called out after her.

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Kaidan grabbed for Shepard’s arm as she passed him by.  Regarding him darkly, she pried his fingers off and, at odds with a soft, swift squeeze to his hand, shoved him back a step.  Staring at his hand, he struggled to parse the discrepancy.

Shaking it off, he took one step after her, but Anderson’s hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back.

“Sir, you’re not... are you...” Kaidan’s words tangled in the frustration that constricted his throat.  “You’re just gonna let her go?”

“Your implant acting up, Alenko?” Anderson’s eyebrow raised, bearing weight.  “I didn’t see anyone.”

“I... would... humbly request that you didn’t pick on the infirm.  Sir.”

Anderson offered a firm pat on Kaidan’s shoulder before wandering towards the ambassador’s desk and leaving him to follow.  He stared out at the Presidium sky, watching the cars fly overhead, until Kaidan joined him.  “How’d the hearing go?”

“Tell you the truth, I don’t think I was much help.” Kaidan scoffed.  “In fact, I probably threw myself onto the fire right along with her.”

The captain – soon-to-be-Councilor, Kaidan had to remind himself – smiled thinly.  “Nobody is going to fault you for having faith in your commanding officer.”

“Sir, I have to admit I’m confused.  Do you...” Kaidan sucked in a breath, rephrasing the question.  “Is there anything you’re at liberty to divulge that might...”  His frustration bubbled to the surface, and any such pretenses vanished.  He leaned back on the desk to stare at the holographic clouds.  “I just don’t understand it.  How could they think Shepard’s gone rogue?”

In the silence, Kaidan tried not to think _Reaper Indoctrination_.  His mind drifted past _Thorian_ _Spores_.  One alternative was that Shepard was acting out wholly in response her own frustrations and the circumstances at hand... that she had simply been worn down by too much, too fast.

Another was that it was as bad as it seemed, and that was unthinkable.

When Kaidan looked to Anderson, he was contemplating the steel beneath his feet.

“The STG investigation is legit,” he said softly.  “I wish it wasn’t, but someone’s been leaking Council intel.  Only a few people had access to it, and Shepard is their number one suspect.”

“Shepard saved the Council, saved galactic civilization as we know it.  Why would she...” Kaidan caught himself wondering.  “ _How_ could anyone even think that she had anything to do with it?”

“I don’t know.” Anderson shrugged, tracing edge of Udina’s desk with his thumbs.  His hands went flat upon the surface.  “But the salarians found evidence they claim implicates Shepard in leaking Alliance intel to the Shadow Broker.  The Alliance isn’t happy, and the Council suspects that if it can be proven that she’s done it before, she may well be their woman.”

“Shepard... She considers you her closest friend, sir.”  Kaidan paused to consider that, “Maybe her only friend.  Is there anything you can do?”

“Who do I have a responsibility towards, Alenko?”  Anderson leaned heavily on the desk, and for a moment Kaidan swore he could see the weight of it pressing down on his shoulders.  “If the Council is willing to accept humanity as a Council race, at the expense of one woman, who comes first?”

“I, uh...” Kaidan took a deep, shaky breath.  “I don’t... don’t think I could do it, sir.”

“I’m not sure I can, either.” Straightening, Anderson adjusted the sleeves of his shirt.  “I’m only hoping she has enough sense to lie low until I can find an alternative, or until the investigation breaks, but knowing her, knowing what she could be up against...” The captain fixed Kaidan with a reserved stare.   “Right now, there’s no way I could even get her off the station – not that she’s willing to go.”

All at once, the lieutenant remembered who it was he was speaking to, and wondered how much they overlapped.

“What did she tell you?” he asked quietly.

“She claims there’s an assassination plot in the works.  She refused to tell me the details.  Mostly, she was trying to convince me to cancel the pre-inauguration ceremony.”

“She thinks you’re the target?”

“Me, or one of the Councilors.” Anderson shrugged.  “She thinks it’s a ploy to keep humanity from ascending a Council seat – to implicate the Alliance, or scare us off.”

“Is it possible this is what Baeros’ men attacked her for?” If the STG really _were_ involved, “Could the Council...”

“I don’t think she knows the details, Alenko,” Anderson said.  “But I do think she believed what she was saying, enough to risk coming here.  I... would like to believe her.”

“Is this...” Kaidan dropped his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes.  “This isn’t what you wanted to talk to me about.”

“No.” Anderson paused, arranging his thoughts.  “With Shepard... currently unavailable, I have a rather notable hole in my Honor Guard.  I was hoping, if the... _situation_ doesn’t resolve itself by then, that you might be willing to take her place.”

Peering over his fingertips, Kaidan folded his hands together to drop them entirely.

“Not that I’m not flattered, sir, but, uh...” The hair along the back of his neck itched.  “Why me?”

Anderson shrugged.

“You’re a good soldier,” he said.  “And I like you.  Do I need a better reason?”

“Privilege of being a Councilor, I guess,” Kaidan chuckled.  “You get to make the rules.”

“So?” Anderson smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.  “What do you say, Lieutenant?”

Swallowing, Kaidan gave in to the compulsion to scratch the itch.  “I’d be honored, sir.”

“Good.”  Anderson offered him a hand;  Kaidan grasped it listlessly.  “And if someone does take a shot at me, it’ll be good to have a biotic on call.”

It should have been an honor.  But on the way out, his feet felt like lead, and he paused as the door slid open.

“Sir...”

“Shepard’s still on our side,” Kaidan asked, “Isn’t she?”

The captain’s answer drifted quietly to his ears.  “I’m hoping that we’re all on the same side.”

~*~

A turian was waiting in the lobby of the barracks assigned to the crew while the _Normandy_ was grounded.  Kaidan barely glanced at her on his way to the elevator, until she stepped in front of him, forcing him to a halt.

“Lieutenant Alenko.”

Catching himself as he sized her up, he cast off his misgivings as paranoia.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said, squaring his stance to match hers.  “I’m sorry, can I help you?”

“I hope that you can.” The turian bobbed her head in a simile of a human nod.  “Is it true that Commander Shepard has deserted her duties to the Alliance and to the Council?”

“Are you with the press?”

“No.  The Office of the Council has instructed me to deliver this,” she held up an envelope for his inspection, “but I am uncertain now if I should.”

It was unmarked, from where he could see – unremarkable at all, apart from what appeared to be an asari fold.  “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” the turian stated.  “I was instructed to deliver it unopened.”

“What makes you think I know anything?”

“ _Shepard_ is not the only known name of the Systems Alliance _Normandy_.  Since the... regretful incident with Saren, other names have begun to grow in reputation.”

The turian had an air of open, honest curiosity in her mannerisms, to which Kaidan wasn’t certain how to respond.

“I’m sorry,” he told her at length.  “This is a big station.  I don’t know how to find her.”

“I do.” Her faceplates flattened against her chin. “Under the circumstances, I simply don’t know if I _should_.”

Kaidan’s throat grew dry; he swallowed, but fought the compulsion to lick his lips.  “You know where she is?”

“I was given a time and a location to find her,” the turian answered.  “But I was given my orders before rumors of Shepard’s activities reached my ears.”

“And no counterorders have been forthcoming?”

“No.”

They studied each other for a long breath, which Kaidan realized he had been holding when it puffed free of him of its own accord.

“If you give me the envelope, and tell me where to find her,” he said.  “I’ll give it to her myself.”

The turian shifted her weight, considering his offer.  “I am uncertain if this course of action would be wise.”

Kaidan sought to reassure her, “If you trust my judgment enough to ask my opinion, you can trust me.  I don’t know what she’s up to, but she’s... Look, she’s my friend and I would like a chance to find out.”

“I see.” The turian curled inward at the edges, seeking answers from the steel of the walkway as she parsed that.  “You are her friend, and would like chance to be the one to stop her if the allegations are true.”

“I-...” Kaidan scratched at the skin itching around his amp port. “Yeah, sure; I guess you could say it that way.”

The turian nodded decisively.  “Very well.”

Straightening to her full height, she held the envelope out to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

She had dyed her hair black, and slicked it back in such a way that it no longer resembled the every day mess of wild, unkempt tresses that flaunted within a half-inch of regulations.  She had darkened her skin a shade, and in doing so had seemingly eliminated the familiar spatter of freckles across her cheeks.  But her eyes remained the same piercing, unseemly blue as she stared up towards the stacked curvature of the apartments and offices that lined the Presidium wall above.

The flood of people parted around her, as she stood alone, hands shoved in the pockets of her Alliance Issue utility trousers, with that distinctive detail in uniform partially hidden under a mid-length civilian jacket.  Kaidan moved with the crowd, silently thanking the turians and even a few of the asari that concealed his height over the salarians and many of his fellow humans.

All the same, Shepard’s shoulders squared at his approach – a reflex he easily recognized.  Her gaze dropped, and she turned her head away from him, scanning the crowd as she rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug.  By then, he was within an arm’s reach.

“You know,” he said, “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Rather than startle, she gave him a dour look, dimly reflecting the expression of the person who would have been annoyed at being accosted by a total stranger, before turning on her heel and walking away.

Kaidan followed, matching her pace for pace as hers quickened to haste.  Considering briefly and subsequently thinking better of the attention biotics would bring, he instead grabbed for her shoulder before she could weave into the crowd.  Her momentum, combined with his grip, pivoted her to face him.

Shepard breathed a deep sigh, fixing him with a disgruntled stare.  Watching the muscles clench along her jaw, Kaidan found his doing much the same.

“There’s a patrolman over there,” she remarked at length, conversationally.  “I think she saw all of that.  You wanna be the one to scream, or shall I?”

Kaidan followed the flick of her eyes to an asari in a C-Sec uniform.  Self-conscious, he let go of Shepard’s arm.  Raising her chin, Shepard emphasized rolling her shoulder, and then straightened her shirt.

But she didn’t _run_.

A dim sense of hope welled up within him.

“I don’t know what your game is, but this... _thing_ , this....”  At a loss for the proper word, Kaidan gestured at air to encapsulate it.  “What you’re doing right now – it’s career suicide.”

“My career ended the moment we began,” Shepard said softly.  Any perceived tenderness vanished entirely as her voice dipped low, “Did you have anything else to tell me or did you simply stop me to say _hello_?”

At his silence, Shepard sighed.  Scanning the bustle around them, she froze, bristling.

Kaidan followed her gaze, but couldn’t single out what might have set her on edge.  He turned back in time to find her slipping back into the crowd.  Without another word, he hurried to catch up, and fell in step at her flank.

She neither acknowledged him, nor tried to lose him.  At length, she ducked onto an enclosed footpath leading up into the cluster of buildings, and he hesitated for a step after her – a meager stumble, quickly corrected for.

 

Up through the interconnecting pedways, and through at least one person’s private garden, Shepard led him into a lobby staffed by a single asari, who perked up from her datapad at their arrival to offer them a cheerful smile.

“I’d like a room pass please,” Shepard told her, leaning on the counter.  Coming to a halt at her elbow, Kaidan glanced about the heavily styled room, bedecked with sculptures and paintings in effigy to the mishmash that was Citadel culture.

“Human rate?”

Shepard’s eyebrows raised.

“Do I look like a salarian to you?” The receptionist giggled, and placed a keycard from her till on the counter.  Shepard swiped it with a raspy, “Thank you.”

She edged past him, towards the elaborate stairs disappearing up into the wall.  The receptionist turned her smile on him, visibly sizing him up.  Ears burning, Kaidan turned and took one step towards the stairs after his commanding officer.

 _Former_ commanding officer.

“ _Shepard_ …”

“What?” Shepard asked, nonchalant and spinning about to face him, “I’ve been on my feet all day, and given the circumstances it’s not like I can curl up in my sleeper pod right now.”  She blinked at Kaidan.  “You coming?”

Kaidan glanced between Shepard and the receptionist.  With a shake of his head, he followed Shepard as she disappeared into the wall, utterly lost.

“Have a good night,” the receptionist purred after them.

~*~

The room was little more than a hole in the wall, or an enlisted man’s quarters on a dreadnaught.  Even so, it was comfortably furnished, albeit not to the lavish trim that might have been expected of the location, with a concave window covering most of the wall to the Presidium waterfront.

Shepard locked the door behind them and turned to face him.  A jolt went up his spine in startled recognition of the pistol in her hand.  Keeping her distance, she half-circled him to stand by the small wooden bureau that sat lateral to the door.

“Give me your omni-tool.” 

“Shepard, what the hell?”  Rather than answer, she simply stared at him, unblinking, holding out her hand.  Kaidan took a step forward.  “No, really – what the hell?”

“Omni-tool,” she repeated.  Kaidan sighed in frustration, in _disbelief_ , and stripped the device from his hand.  She took it and studied it, keeping her weapon trained on his chest.

“It’s off,” he informed her, gritting his teeth.

Satisfied, either by his word or her own findings, she placed it on the bureau beside her.  Staring him down, she nodded.  “Amp, too.”

The amp she didn’t bother examining, instead shoving it and the omni-tool into the top drawer and sliding it closed.  She closed the distance between them to pat him down for weapons, and tensed as he chanced reaching for the envelope in his pocket.

Kaidan held it up for her inspection.  She took it gingerly between her fingertips, examining it this way and that.

“What’s this?”

“I don’t know,” Kaidan told her.  “The person who gave it to me said it was for you.  From the Council.”

Backing away from him, Shepard slit the envelope open with her thumb, and pulled out its contents.  The thick paper drew her attention off of him for a long, silent moment, before she crumpled it and let it drop in a wastebin beside the terminal desk with a scoff.  Kaidan approached the bin, but Shepard caught his hand as he reached to retrieve the paper.

Her fingers traced the ridge of his knuckles, and trailed up his arm until Kaidan shrugged her off.  A soft twinge of emotion played across her eyes; she blinked, and it was gone, replaced by indifference. 

Although she didn’t have a gun trained on him anymore, Kaidan remained acutely aware of its presence, secure within her grasp, as he reached out to run his thumb along the line of her cheek.  She glanced aside, and it took him a moment longer to realize she was studying him in the reflection of the mirror above the bureau.  He eased her to face him, and her eyes dropped to his chest.  Slipping one hand up behind his neck and pressing the other flat over the gun on the bureau, Shepard pushed herself up on her toes, teasing a kiss to the corner of his lip.  She kissed his cheek, and nibbled at his jaw.  A groan of approval rumbled through his chest, and he shifted to press his mouth to beneath her ear.

His hands started to drift the familiar path up along her sides.  Catching himself, Kaidan chuckled, and shook his head.  Gripping her shoulders instead, he gently held her at bay, a mere handspan away.  Her hand dropped into the crook of his elbow, and she stared up at him, eyebrows arched but lacking surprise.

“I need to know what’s going on.”

“You are currently standing in a hotel room overlooking the height of excess in galactic society in the company of the former commanding officer, with whom you were once none too long ago entangled in an illicit affair.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

Shepard’s hand slid upward, until it rested flat against his chest.  She cocked her head, curling her thumb against the weave of his shirt.

“Maybe you should go.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I have some answers.”

“Then maybe I should go.”

Exasperated, Kaidan dug his fingers into her shoulders, earning little more than a crinkle of amusement around Shepard’s eyes.  He looked away, and her hand slid further up, along his neck, stopping short of his amp port.

“Tell me you didn’t do it,” Kaidan told her reflection.

“What if I can’t?”

Reaching for her hand at his neck, he found himself unwilling to pull it away.  She gauged his reaction, solemn and discerning.

“I want the truth, Commander.”  He scowled down at her.  “I’m tired of being left in the dark.”

“Kaidan...” Her thumb traced his jaw, and she sighed, eyebrows knitting together as her gaze dropped in acquiescence.  “Later, alright?”

“ _Shepard_.”

“Tonight,” she amended.  “Give me some time to sort it all out, maybe help me clear my head a little.”

Kaidan scoffed.  “You promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

Kaidan’s eyebrows rose in disbelief, but his scowl faded as her breath ghosted across his chin.  “Are you by any chance lying to me?”

“What’s the matter,” Shepard whispered against his jaw, “don’t you trust me?”

A single, strangled syllable of amused frustration escaped his throat, “ _No_.”

Shepard snickered.  “Good man.”

He twisted to meet her kiss.  His hands slid down her arms; one slipped around her shoulders, pulling her close, while he wrapped his fingers around her pistol, teasing it from her grasp and forcing it free to drop atop the bureau.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

Shepard’s fingers combed through his hair.  A soothing repetition, it kept him on the near edge of sleep.  With his head nested in her lap, leaning back against the headboard, Shepard stared into the space above him, face drawn in a portrait of contemplative, perhaps misleading tranquility.

Content to let lie for the moment, Kaidan listened to the slow, steady rhythm of her pulse.  If he closed his eyes, he could have pretended that nothing had happened.  That all was as it was.  As much as he struggled to focus, the temptation was overwhelming.

 

When he woke, she was gone.  His fist hit a pillowed mass of blankets, nested around him like a cloud.  A soft, exasperated snicker tickled past his throat before he managed to haul himself out of the bed in search of his clothes.

His omni-tool and savant amp were in the drawer where Shepard had seen fit to unceremoniously stash them.  He wiped the contacts of the amp on the hem of his shirt before inserting it.  Any lingering fog vanished from his mind, vanquished by a staggering jolt of energy.

Only as he was lacing his boots did he remember the crumpled missive in the wastebin.  It was gone, but a scrap of thinner paper – torn from the envelope – had been discarded in its place.  On the paper, Shepard’s shoddy handwriting – Kaidan found that he was impressed despite himself, for it was somehow worse in pen than on a slate – stood out stark against the soft blue-tinted white.

_Stay close to D._

~*~

“Mr. Udina?”

Kaidan froze.

Glancing about the lobby, he found himself in the company of an older turian engrossed in his slate, a volus who seemed to be trying – and failing – to mind her own business, and a keeper, which only minded its own business... with no other humans, ambassadors or otherwise, in sight.

“Sir?”  The receptionist leaned forward over her counter, staring directly at him.  “Mr. Udina, the woman you were with said that you would settle the account?”

“Oh.”

The asari smiled brightly as he approached the desk, calling up a holographic form.  “I trust you had a pleasurable evening?”

Kaidan stared at the form blankly.

“Yeah...” He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts.  “Actually, know what, uh...” He gestured vaguely, backing away.  “I’m in a hurry, so... Bill me at the Alliance Embassy.”

“I... that’s...” The receptionist’s eyes widened.  In the wake of her shock, Kaidan dared to make his escape.

“I’d appreciate it,” he threw over his shoulder.  “Thanks.”

 

A safe distance away, he ducked into a stairwell and breathed a sigh of relief.

Shepard had a strange, strange sense of humor.

~*~

“You almost didn’t make it,” Anderson told him.  “Everything alright?”

“Yeah.”  Kaidan straightened the imaginary wrinkles on his shoulder, expression twisting in a mixture of dismay and disbelief.  “Except I think I gained some weight.”

Anderson laughed – it was a rich, welcome sound that took some of the edge off.  Kaidan smiled faintly in response, but it faded as Anderson moved on and he took stock of the ensemble of men and women in uniform. 

Shepard should have been there.

There were a few representatives to the Council, notable and less than notable Spectres included, in addition to the Council themselves.  Kaidan had caught sight of Captain Baeros once, reporting directly to the salarian Councilor, before the STG captain disappeared entirely.  At the edge of the host of humans, nearer to his corner of the wall that was open the Presidium, Maerum stood a head above everybody else.

There were discomfiting cracks in her plating, traveling down the expanse of her face.  She must have been wearing a helmet that caught the brunt of it, but the helmet – along with the armor – was gone, replaced by a smart uniform that fit the occasion.  Her grim, mindful mannerisms made her appear that much more foreboding.  All in all, she looked hellish, and hellishly determined.

Maerum twisted to fix him withering stare of her own.

“Do you wish to tell me something, Lieutenant?”

“You look like you caught the bad side of a grenade,” Kaidan remarked.  Maerum’s breath whistled through her teeth – the turian equivalent of a _harrumph_.  Kaidan’s jaw tightened, and he swallowed, forcing down his misgivings; he recognized Shepard’s handiwork when he saw it.  “Is she still alive?”

“Not for much longer,” Maerum growled, “I assure you.”

“What if she’s innocent?”

Maerum didn’t answer.  Her faceplates tucked in at a curve, and she raised her chin, pointedly snubbing him.  The asari Councilor called her away, and Kaidan breathed a sigh of relief.  Taking a brief sojourn, he leaned over the wall to stare out over the water.

The murmurs and the mingling behind him faded into the background as he studied the curve of the architecture.  It offered a sense of peaceful focus.

With a start, he found himself chasing the memory of Shepard through the street in his mind.

 

Ducking out of the enclosure, he made his way downstairs to where an assortment of marines were holding their own private reception.  Picking her out of the crowd, he sidled up to Deforest.  She shrugged him away, and tossed him a caustic glance over her shoulder when he persisted.

“Hey,” he whispered, “Give me your weapon.”

“Weapon, sir?” she drawled, “ _What_ weapon?”

“The one I explicitly told you not to pack but am certain you did anyway,” Kaidan enunciated.  She hesitated, weighing his request.  “It’s imperative, Corporal.”

Sourly, she reached into her jacket.  She ran her thumb over the compacted pistol’s casing, before surrendered it to him with a pout.

“This is a private piece, sir,” she warned him through tightly grit teeth.  “I fully expect to get it back.”

Kaidan thumped her shoulder, before hurrying out.

~*~

The map of the Citadel drifted over his arm, and he studied it, raised high so as to be superimposed over the cluster of buildings above.  Knowing Shepard, she would need privacy, but also a clear view of the proceedings.

“I know you’re up there somewhere,” Kaidan told her, on the slim chance that her comm. was online.  “Care to give me a hint?”

Met with radio silence, he narrowed it down to two locations.  And, knowing Shepard, he chose the high ground.

Passers by stared at him, and the few that had stopped moved away as he burst into motion, scrambling up through the pedways towards his destination.

 

The narrowest passageway on his route opened into a scenic overlook before crossing back under the next walkway.  Little more than a small rooftop garden in a wall niche, the overlook lacked heavy traffic, and offered both cover and a high vantage.

Shivering from the exertion, Kaidan steadied his breathing.  Crouched up against the guardwall, a sniper rifle balanced over the rail, Shepard didn’t bother to acknowledge his arrival, though he had no doubt she was well aware of his presence.

“What are you doing?”

“Following orders.”

“Which are?”

“None of your damn business.”

Gauging whatever target was within her sights, she blew out a breath.

“If you’re gonna try to stop me, now’s your chance.”

“What happens if I do?”

“Life goes on.”

Kaidan’s hand tightened on his pistol’s grip.  A ripple of biotic energy crackled along his skin.

Shepard’s breathing slowed in anticipation of the shot.  When she held her breath, on reflex, so did he.

A single shot sounded through the still air of the Citadel.  Shepard continued to stare down the sights a few moments longer, and when she pulled back, a dark tension pulled at her expression.

“Did you miss?”

“No.” Her eyebrows knit together.  “I didn’t.”

The commander compacted the sniper rifle, bundling it in her jacket and tucking it under her arm, hidden.  Kaidan struggled to make sense of the chaos across the water.  From this distance, all he could see were ants in dress blue.  Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he asked thickly, “Who was it?”

“Baeros Rhyte,” Shepard breathed, hurrying past him.  Kaidan turned after her.

“Shepard, _wait_.”

“There’s no _time_.”

Kaidan swallowed.  With a twist of his arm, he pulled the biotic field closed around her; with a second, he pulled her back towards him.  The rifle fell to the grass.  Shepard’s eyes narrowed dangerously; Kaidan dropped the stasis, glaring right back.

“What did you just do?” he growled.

“If you didn’t trust me...” she whispered, letting the statement hang between them.  She pulled away from him, and snarled, “ _Get out of here_.”

As Shepard reached the archway, she staggered back a step.  Kaidan registered the gunshot a moment later, as Maerum threw her back onto the grass.  Taken aback, he could only gape at the turian in horror.

Shaking it off, he dropped his gun, falling beside beside Shepard to tear her shirt away from the wound.  The plasma burn seared and cracked her skin, while the projectile had pierced her abdomen.  She hissed through her teeth as he assessed the damage, and his heart clenched.

“Shh...” Peeling off his dress jacket, Kaidan bundled it up and pressed it against the wound to staunch the flow of blood.  “Hey, listen to me, you’re gonna be okay.”

“Stand aside.”  Maerum’s voice was cold steel.

Focusing entirely on Shepard, he ignored her, even as she stepped in close behind him.  “This is _justice_ , Lieutenant.”

“...you’re gonna be okay...”

The hair along the back of his neck stood up.  In the same moment, Shepard’s pulled him downward, cradling him beneath her arm as she raised his pistol to bear over his head.

The overheat warning murmured in his ears, growing louder as the ringing of the gunshots faded.

Shepard’s arm loosened as he sat up, hitting his lap.  The gun dropped from her hand.  In shock, he stared over his shoulder.

“Did I-...” Shepard’s voice dragged him back to the immediate now.  Kaidan returned the pressure to her wound, and she gasped an oath, eyes squeezing closed.

“Yeah.”  Kaidan murmured.  “Yeah, you got her.”  He pulled up his omni-tool with one hand, and opened a line to C-Sec.

“I need a medical crew,” he told the operator, “We’re in the open, across from the embassies.  Trace my signal and you should find us easily.  I...” He took a deep, shuddering breath.  “I’ve got a Council Spectre here, she’s been shot.”

Dropping his hand from his ear, Kaidan hauled her onto his lap, letting her lean against his chest and wrapping his arms securely around her.  Her hand crept blindly up his cheek, leaving a smear of blood in its wake, and he placed his over it, closing his eyes.

“You could have told me,” he said.

“She would have killed you.”  Shepard rasped, “You can’t bluff for shit.”

Her chest heaved, and she shivered in his arms.  “Love you.”

Despite everything, Kaidan laughed.

“You’re not gonna die,” he promised.  Brushing his thumb over her fingers, he dropped his hand to encircle her protectively.  “I’m not gonna let you.”

“Told you,” Shepard coughed on a snicker, “you can’t bluff for shit.”

Her blood soaked his jacket beneath his fingers, and he lost track of time in her ragged breathing and the slowing rhythm of her pulse.  When he opened his eyes, Hackett was at his side, a swarm of med-techs and security forces behind him.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he whispered, tightening his arms around her before letting go.

  
[[full size]](http://imageshack.us/a/img268/50/1f6u.jpg)


	5. Chapter 5

**Epilogue**

A fine spray from the fountain reached as far as the railing, condensing to light dewdrops that had begun to weigh down his hair.

Naturally, he wasn’t supposed to be there.

But nobody would have known that unless they checked.

Meanwhile, Kaidan watched the reflections of light bouncing off the water and fluttering across the floor.  His meandering train of thought stopped at the familiar pair of boots – the left a bit more scuffed, and the right with a deep cut into the leather across the toes – that stopped short on the lower landing.  They skirted his position, and when he looked up, Shepard’s eyes were narrowed in a perplexed scowl.

Kaidan raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence, “Bad debrief?”

Taken aback, she swayed and shook her head.  Her voice cracked at the edges, in the vestige of a whisper, “Too many stairs.”

Kaidan slipped down off the railing, swinging in line behind Shepard as she limped past the fountain towards the elevator.  There, she toyed with the controls, stepping in briskly when the lift itself arrived.  He followed, keeping a cautious distance.

But the elevator was empty, and it was a long way down.

Reaching to brush the hair back from her ear, Kaidan froze as Shepard twisted slightly, and his hand hovered over her shoulder.

“So you know,” she said, fixing the window with an empty stare as the Wards rushed past, “I neither remember nor can I be held accountable for anything I did or said while I was hopped up on painkillers and tripping balls.”

“I’m sure the Ambassador will be pleased to hear that,” Kaidan scoffed, sliding his hand between her and the wall behind her.  She leaned into him, and gingerly he tightened his arm around her.

The elevator slowed to a stop, and she pulled away to duck past him.  Dutifully, he followed, and nearly crashed into her as she halted suddenly in front of him.  Taking in the lazy loll of her head, the not quite a turn to face him, Kaidan waited as she considered her wording.

“Maybe it’d be better if I did resign,” she murmured at length, “At least then, I could feel you up in public.”

Shepard took one step forward, and Kaidan’s hand shot out, tangling in the shoulder of her shirt before she could take another.  She leaned back, turning into his grasp, and raised an unconcerned eyebrow at him.

“Don’t,” he warned, “even.”

**_end_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was a bit of a wrestle for me in that I wound up re-framing and rewriting nearly the entire thing from where I started, at the eleventh hour of the author's round. And I realized after the fact that Shepard's side of the story might've been a tad more interesting than Kaidan's, but this's the way it rolled, so this's the way I followed it. (I think it wanted to be a mystery, but you don't get much of a mystery with Saren's ex on the loose, truth be told.)  
> Anyhow, that's my Fall BB Entry.  
> Credit to Springagainafter for listening to me kvetch when I was banging my head against the desk and slinging plot against the wall to see what would stick at the eleventh hour, and Mega Thanks to Angmarluna for listening to my longwinded rambles and for making my fic pretty.  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. :)


End file.
